This invention relates to an article transport facility including an article-carrying mobile body movable along a moving path and having an article holder, and article supports for article storage movable between an article transfer position for receiving articles from the article holder of the mobile body and for passing articles to the article holder, and an article storage position.
The above article transport facility includes a plurality of article transfer stations arranged along the moving path. The mobile body moves along the moving path to transport articles between the stations.
The article supports are provided to keep temporarily articles to be transported to the stations. The article supports are usually located in positions for article storage such as at a side of the moving path, not to interfere with movement of the mobile body. When articles are stored on the article supports or when articles are transported from the article supports, the article supports are moved from the article storage position to the article transfer position, to transfer articles from the holder of the mobile body to the article supports, and transfer articles from the article supports to the holder.
Conventionally, such an article transport facility has a guide rail serving as the moving path installed on the ceiling, a link mechanism pivotable about a horizontal axis relative to the ceiling and supporting an article support deck acting as the article support to be movable between the article storage position and article transfer position, and a hydraulic cylinder disposed between the ceiling and the link mechanism for moving the article support between the article storage position and the article transfer position (see Japanese Patent Publication (Unexamined) H10-45213, for example).
In this conventional article transport facility, when storing an article on the article support, with the mobile body stopped in an article transfer location, the hydraulic cylinder is driven to rock the link mechanism about the horizontal axis to move the article support from the article storage position to the article transfer position. After transferring the article from the holder of the mobile body to the article support, the hydraulic cylinder is driven to swing the link mechanism about the horizontal axis to move the article support from the article transfer position to the article storage position.
Also when causing the mobile body to transport an article stored on the article support, the hydraulic cylinder is driven to move the article support from the article storage position to the article transfer position to transfer the article from the article support to the holder of the mobile body. Thereafter, the hydraulic cylinder is driven to move the article support from the article transfer position to the article storage position.
In order to provide the article support, the above conventional article transport facility has, arranged at a side of the moving path, the hydraulic cylinder which moves the article support between the article storage position and the article transfer position, in addition to the link mechanism which supports the article support to be capable of position changing. Consequently, an increased number of components are arranged at a side of the moving path, thereby enlarging an installation space as well as complicating the construction.